I've just reconnected to Museum-L after being offline for several months,
and I'm wondering if there has been any discussion of Year 2000 problems as
they might relate to museums? I'm guessing there hasn't, because I checked
the list archive, which contains only a few messages about possible
problems with accession numbers. I also checked the archive for
conservation Distlist as well as the web sites for the Museum Security
Network, Museum Computer Network and AAM Hot Topics. None of these sites
mention Y2K and it doesn't seem to be on anyone's agenda.
From what I've been reading lately, there are a number of ways this problem
could impact museums, and they seem significant enough that we should be
discussing them. If you are unfamiliar with the Y2k or Year 2000 problem,
also called the millennium bug, go to http://www.year2000.com
The most obvious problem might seem to be with software such as collection
management databases, but these we can most likely make fixes for, which is
perhaps why people don't seem overly concerned. But there is a hardware
aspect to the Y2K problem as well, called embedded systems or embedded
chips. It seems a significant enough number of microchips in the world are
date sensitive, and these chips may be used for a wide variety of
functions, some of which may not even seem to have a date/time connection.
These chips may be part of your HVAC systems, security systems, fire
suppression systems, telephone/Fax machines, elevators, pumping systems,
etc. not to mention in the PC's that might run these systems.
There is no way to tell if a chip has a date problem without testing it,
and it is also very difficult to even know where these chips are. To
compound the problem, even if all of your equipment is functioning, it may
suffer a problem if it is networked to outside equipment that is not Y2K
compliant. Another scenario that would impact museums is a power failure
because electric utilities, which are apparently very vulnerable, may shut
down.
This may sound alarmist, but it is only a limited statement of the problem
compared to what some well-qualified experts are saying. Private business
is spending billions of dollars on this issue right now.
Because of the unknown extent of the problem, it's severity, or even when
it might occur, it is being recommended that institutions and businesses
have a plan for how they would operate if critical systems fail, or if
importatnt outside services or vendors are cut off.
I'm wondering what the museum world is doing about this, and would like to
get as much outside advice as possible, since I'm not a computer expert. We
are starting to check out our building systems, and any discussion of this
issue would be helpful.
For a good explanation of the embedded chip problem, see:
http://www.tmn.com/~frautsch/y2k2.html
The above web site also contains a list of related links, including a GSA
link related to building related embedded systems at:
http://y2k.lmi.org/gsa/y2kproducts/search.htm
Kenneth DeRoux
Curator of Museum Services
Alaska State Museum
395 Whittier Street
Juneau, AK. 99801
(907) 465-2396
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http://www.educ.state.ak.us/lam/museum/home.html
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